Carnivale - The Complete First Season

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You might not be able to tell the good guys from the bad, but you'll be thoroughly fascinated all the same.

By Matt Casamassina

In HBO's gorgeously surreal horror series Carnivale, nobody smiles. And we can't really blame the characters for being miserable. After all, they are all searching for the meanings of their lives in 1934 amidst an onslaught of disease, widespread poverty and, most of all, dust. It's everywhere. The Great Plains have been drowned in violent dirt storms and so have the people unfortunate enough to pass through them. Everyone seems to wear the same clothes day in and day out and their rags are thick with powdery crud. There is corruption at every corner. Theft. Rape. Death. Murder. Your basic formula for some good old-fashioned eyes-glued-open television.

Except that Carnivale, created by writer and producer Daniel Knauf, doesn't follow any formula. In fact, you might say that it successfully bucks the cliches and trends that so commonly soil many of today's most popular television franchises. Perhaps this is because HBO isn't afraid to take a chance on something different. Or maybe it's just sheer luck. Whatever the reason, there is some compelling, if disturbing entertainment to be found lurking beneath the dust in the show's 12-episode first season.

The Series

Ben Hawkins, convincingly played as a slack-jawed farm boy by Terminator 3's Nick Stahl, is cursed -- at least, that's the way he sees it. He has been punished with the power to take life from one source and transfer it to another. He doesn't understand this gift and has been taught to think of it as evil. As his grotesquely sick mother lies helpless on her deathbed, she refuses his attempts to save her. So when Hawkins finds himself completely alone, his shack-like home demolished, he reluctantly decides to join a traveling carnival, which he eventually learns is not at all just fun and games.

In another part of the country, the stoic, but passionate Brother Justin Crowe preaches the word of God, but there's a darkness to the priest that he struggles to understand. Like Hawkins, Crowe has divine powers. When a churchgoing homeless woman is caught stealing from the donation bucket, Brother Crowe calls the lady into his office and lectures her on proper Christian ethics. And in an unexpected turn of events, some mysterious force causes the woman to repeatedly vomit coins. The sequence is powerfully realized thanks to a combination of convincing acting and subtle, but nevertheless effective special effects.

The story of Carnivale follows both characters as they set out on separate adventures that will eventually crash into each other. We are led to believe that Hawkins, quiet and hard working, but unable or unwilling to make many friends, is destined for greatness. In the first episode, he encounters a little girl who is not capable of walking on her damaged legs. He touches her for a minute and transfers some kind of power her way. And then she can walk. But as the scene reveals itself, we notice that in giving the girl this magical new ability, Hawkins has killed an entire crop of plants. A whole field turns from green to dead dark brown. Meanwhile, as Brother Crowe begins to learn more about his upbringing and himself, we discover that this character is not all he's cracked up to be. He has cryptic nightmares. And yes, every now and again his eyes turn completely black and he looks like the devil himself, but hey, who are we to judge?

From the opening sequence to the fade out on episode 12, Carnivale successfully draws you into the Depression-engulfed world of its many oddly likeable characters. And sure enough, odd best describes these people, many of whom live under the watchful eye of the carnival's leader, a magical entity called "Management" that never shows itself. There are conjoined twins. An overweight stripper. The ever popular bearded lady. A paraplegic guided by premonitions. You name it. The show prominently features all manners of freaks, but each is well-crafted, layered, and believable, rather than comical, as easily could have been the case under amateur direction.

If there's to be a major complaint, it's that we're still left with a lot of questions when the first season of Carnivale draws to a close. The show certainly dazzles with unpredictable plot twists and scares with disturbing themes and imagery. When the carnival travels to a deserted ghost town called Babylon and one of its dancers is raped and murdered, it's difficult not to get caught up in the haunting premise. Later, when the carnies drive off, one sneaks a look back and sees the murdered girl staring at him from behind a dirty window in a house where nobody could possibly live.

Goosebumps are inevitable. But while there are truly spectacular moments like these, there are also a couple of episodes where nothing eventful seems to happen. And although by mid-season we understand that every generation there is a creature of light and another of darkness born and both are destined to battle for supremacy, the first season barely explores the idea before it's over. It's a testament, however, to the overall presentation of the supernatural theme, brought to life with picturesque cinematography and top-tier acting, that we can't wait for the next season to start.

Score: 9 out of 10

The Video

We watched the first season of Carnivale in 2003 when it originally aired on HBO. We made due with the standard definition broadcast and secretly longed for the series to hit the DVD format. Thankfully, the wait has been worth it. The 16x9 anamorphic transfer looks absolutely gorgeous. It makes the standard definition broadcast look downright archaic by comparison.

The show's breathtaking environments, saturated with dirt and artistically shot so that every scene looks as though it were meticulously storyboarded before the cameras ever rolled, comes to life with a new level of detail. Colors beam. And with no noticeable artifacting to speak of, even during extremely dark scenes with excessive amounts of motion, there's really not a lot to complain about. Carnivale is a beautiful television series, without doubt, and these DVDs do nothing if not complement the visual presentation.

Score: 10 out of 10

The Audio

A crisp, clean Dolby Digital 5.1 master means that the off-the-wall characters and atmospheric sound effects in Carnivale have never sounded better. The aural experience will definitely take listeners for a ride because it mimics the show itself, which is all over the place. At one moment, a beautifully composed piece by Hans Zimmer sets up a slow, steady shot and in the next, main character Hawkins is running through a battlefield as room-shaking bombs explode in full, booming surround. Meanwhile, sound separation is defined and discrete. While we would have liked DTS support as an option, the master in place is more than adequate and will surely satisfy even the majority of audio purists.

Score: 8 out of 10

The Extras

Disappointingly, more time was spent creating the slick box, which feels like an expensive book and folds out to reveal six DVDs inside, than developing content-related extras. Carnivale includes a short, but enjoyable behind-the-scenes making-of featurette that spotlights video interviews with series creator Daniel Knauf, among other bits.

And it also delivers three audio commentaries with Knauf and executive producer Howard Klein on select episodes. (That's a mere three audio commentaries across 12 different episodes.) There's not much else to speak of, which is a sad truth given that every other aspect of these DVDs meets or exceeds our expectations.